Grizzly! You’re supposed to bring the toy back, not keep it!

Share this:

Julie Kitzenberger / Peninsula Humane SocietyManie is a large, altered female cat who is about 10 years old. She is a calico, which means that her soft, short coat is a patchwork of black, white, and orange. Manie has stunning yellow eyes and tiny freckles on her pink nose. She is a sweet, shy girl who needs a little extra time to warm up to new people. Once she does, Manie loves getting pets and having her pretty fur brushed. She ll purr softly and give you gentle licks on the hand to thank you. Manie would do best in a home that has some prior cat experience. She does well with other cats, but if you have any children or resident pets be sure to speak with an adoption counselor to make sure she d be a good match. Ask for Manie, ID number A573757.Visit adoptable pets at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion, 1450 Rollins Road, Burlingame. The shelter is open for adoptions 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. For directions and information, call 650-340-7022 or visit www.PHS-SPCA.org.

Dear Miss Behavin’: I’ve been trying to teach my dog, Grizzly, to retrieve. He’s great at chasing, but once he grabs the toy, he plays keep-away, avoiding me at all cost. I don’t like having to chase him once he has the toy. How do I respond when he does this?

Answer: It sounds like Grizzly has learned keep-away is a far better game.

Let’s see the situation through Grizzly’s perspective. Being a natural chaser, he sees the toy soaring through the air. Upon picking up, chewing or holding the toy, these behaviors are disregarded.

The moment Grizzly runs away with the toy, he has your undivided attention as you chase and call him to come back to you.

You unintentionally reinforced the keep-away game as something fun for Grizzly; he’s decided to stick with this game rather than return to you.

The best response to this situation is to never show interest in the object. By refusing to pay attention to Grizzly’s attempts to engage in keep-away, you cease reinforcing that behavior.

I recommend using omission training, using keep-away to your advantage. Put the keep-away game on cue, happily shouting “Gonna catch ya!” with arms open wide. This cue allows you to take charge of when and where Grizzly will engage in the keep-away behavior.

“Gonna catch ya” results in you chasing, cutting off (if you’re fast enough), and gently tackling Grizzly as he grabs the nearest toy and runs.

Suddenly stop the game, sit down, and watch how Grizzly responds. Because Grizzly had a great time playing with you, he most likely will try to solicit you to chase again. Wait and don’t respond until he brings you the toy, dropping it by your side.

Say “YES! Good retrieve” and re-engage in keep-away. By repeating this routine, Grizzly learns the only way to ignite you to play is to return and give up the toy.

To boost motivation, alternate between keep-away with retrieve and intermittently add tug-of-war. Through the potpourri of play options, Grizzly is rewarded for both running away on cue and for retrieving the toy on cue.

Terri Wong is the behavior coordinator at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA. For more information, visit www.phs-spca.org or call 650-340-7022, ext. 317.

"I fully support the principles behind Senate Bill 1: to defeat efforts by the president and Congress to undermine vital federal protections that protect clean air, clean water and endangered species," Newsom said in a written statement.